Letters from Maybe - (Revised)

Okay, maybe you don't keep books in the bathroom, but this one should be kept there! I am always looking for something to read (I'm a male) and this book is perfect! It is complete with short letters written by fictional parishioners. Rev. Pearson must have a heck of a sense of humor. If you are looking for some light reading that will make you chuckle and want to share the stories, then this is a great book for you!

I must confess...that I love the quirky, vulnerable, fallible citizens of "Maybe." They're our everyday selves cast in a slightly less-worldly light, in a somewhat gentler locale. When I read Elizabeth's letters I feel temporarily transported to a sweeter location, and I experience a deep desire to find a comfy front porch on which to sit and greet my neighbors... "Letters From Maybe" reminds me how comforting it is to confide in a friend, and how much meaning there can be in a simple gesture. Pastor Mike's uniquely humorous collection is one you'll savor, and want to revisit again and again.

I have had the distinct pleasure of hearing many of Elizabeth's letters from "Maybe" read from Pastor Pearson's pulpit during Sunday worship. These light-hearted, carefully crafted parables set in modern day small-town America not only amuse, but also provide keen insight into scriptural passages and biblical truths. To have these letters collected and presented in one volume is an incredible delight! Whenever I need to smile or remember what's really important, I pick up this book and take a little trip to "Maybe."

I enjoyed these stories very much. In style, they reminded me a lot of Philip Gulley's "Front Porch Tales", although I didn't think they were quite as good overall. The stories are humorous, feel-good ones, and they can be read as the basis for daily or periodic devotionals. I definitely recommend this book.

Pearson has gifted us with a fine collection of well-crafted letters about the fictional town of "Maybe". The stories contained within these letters are deceptive in their simplicity. At first glance, the letters feel like a hybrid blend of Lake Wobegon and Seinfeld. A more careful reading places them closer to a spiritual Winesburg, Ohio. This spirituality, tacit and gently woven throughout the stories, leaves the reader with a sense that a deep and powerful stream is running just below street level. Where Anderson's Winesburg inhabitants -whom he termed "grotesques"-- live lives of futility and despair, Pearson's residents of Maybe present themes of beauty, hope and redemption. The people and geography of Maybe develop with each letter. Elizabeth, the letter writer, parallels the voice of Anderson's George Willard, the town reporter. She begins each letter critiquing Rev. Answer's sermons, and never gets too much out of the last half. She tells of happenings at the Busy-Bee Cafe, the Refrigerator Magnet Museum, Thelma's Cut 'n' Curl, and even the local nudist colony, Hyde Park. Letters from Maybe should be read much as a box of fine chocolates should be eaten: one delightful morsel at a time, savoring the unique flavor of each nugget, reflecting on the pleasure of each bite before moving on for another simple yet complex taste.